Molecular Omics: Exploring infection biology with mass spectrometry-based proteomics

This review outlines how modern interactomics approaches are transforming the way we study infection biology. It was led by Isabel Prensa in the lab, together with Andrea García Navarro and David Parker.

Rather than viewing protein–protein interactions as static networks, the field is shifting toward a dynamic perspective in which interactions are condition-dependent and reorganize in response to infection. Techniques such as co-fractionation mass spectrometry, affinity purification, and proximity labeling now allow us to capture these changes at proteome scale.

A central theme is that protein function emerges from its interaction context. Infection perturbs these interaction states, rewiring cellular systems in ways that cannot be understood from individual proteins alone. This provides a framework to study host–pathogen biology as a systems-level process rather than a collection of isolated factors.

Looking forward, integrating interactomics with structural prediction and multi-omics data will be key to moving from descriptive maps toward predictive models of infection.

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